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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Today's review features a product that I'm sure a lot of you have seen on Instagram and YouTube: liquid tape! Whether you want to use it for nail art or you're just a messy painter, this promises quick and easy clean-up around the edges of your nail. It works just like painter's tape: put it on, do your painting, then peel it off. It takes any mess around your nails right with it!

There are quite a few brands that offer some version of this type of product and the one I'll be reviewing today is from Born Pretty. You can check it out on their site HERE.

This pretty much has the look and consistency of glue. It goes on white, then dries clear. But instead of smelling like glue, it has an almost peach-like scent to it? That's what it reminded me of, anyways. I actually liked the scent a lot. Is that weird?

The brush is a nice size and you can see exactly where you put the liquid, making application simple. Just make sure you don't get any of it on your actual nails, as then it'll pull up part of your mani when you're peeling it off. If you do mess up and get it where you don't want it, it's easy to wipe away before it dries.

I used this to help with the clean-up of my WWE Natalya-inspired gradient mani. I gotta tell ya, I really like doing gradients, but I
don't do them as often as I would like, because they are such a hassle
to clean up. But this made it soooooo much easier!

Here's how my nails looked before removing the liquid...

...and then immediately after removal!

The liquid peeled off all in one piece on every nail. Removing it is really oddly satisfying. Ever put glue on your hands as a kid just so you could peel it off afterwards? Then you know exactly what I mean! If your nails are still wet, I recommend peeling with tweezers, but if they're dry, fingers will work just fine too. There's no sticky residue left behind, so once it's off, you're good to go!

I've seen products like this retail for close to $30, but the nice thing
about Born Pretty's version (aside from how well it works) is the
price: $3.99 for a 15ml bottle. It's a good-sized bottle and you don't need very much product at a time. So long as you keep it nice and sealed up, this should last a good while.

I can't recommend this highly enough! It works great and the price is a lot lower than many comparable products on the market right now. This is going to be a lifesaver for nail art or whenever I'm short on time and my mani has to look clean and professional so I can get out the door and go!

If you've tried this product or a similar version, I'd love to hear what you thought! And if you would like to purchase anything from Born Pretty, they offer 10% off for Nailed readers:

Disclosure: This product was sent for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

This week, we were challenged to show off some vampy nails. I decided on China Glaze Lubu Heels, a black base with red glitter. This is like Ruby Pumps' naughty older sister. I can't honestly say I like it better than Ruby a Pumps, which is an all-time classic in my eyes, but that's not to say it's without its own charms.

This took three coats in all, mostly to build up the opacity of the black base. If you used a black creme underneath, I'm sure you'd only need one coat of Lubu Heels to achieve this kind of look.

This polish offers such a great twist on basic black! I love when the light hits it and you see those little red sparks flare up. :)

Friday, September 25, 2015

I've got one of the Sally Hansen Beachside Astrologer shades for you guys today! This was one of the standout collections of the year for me so far and has really reignited my love for the Complete Salon Manicure line. Lady Libra-ty is a pastel blue creme. It's got a slightly muted quality to it that I just adore.

Really nice formula on this one. I used three coats here. Definitely pick up Lady Libra-ty if you are in the mood for an all-around fantastic creme!

Beautiful blues like this are one of the things that initially drew me to the CSM line. Barracuda, Model Behavior... What are some of your favorite CSM shades? Other than the aforementioned blues, I'd nominate Frutti Petutie and Stocking Nude!

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Seems a little early for holiday sets, doesn't it? But Butter London has already got their holiday sets for sale on their site and I imagine it won't be too terribly long 'til we see them in stores too. Get those wishlists ready and take a look!

There are quite a few other sets, all of which either feature make-up or all repromoted polishes, so I didn't post them here. But you can see the whole collection on BL's site.

I think they did a really great job with these sets, but I gotta say, Butter seems to be doing more and more sets lately and I miss when you could buy their new colors individually instead of only in mini sets. It'd be nice to have the option of getting some of the new colors as stand-alones rather than having to get a whole set.

Do you prefer when brands do big blockbuster holiday sets like these or do you want individual products? I love buying cosmetic sets like this, but for polish, I'd rather just pick up one or two ful size shades I really like.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Welcome to another round of Twinsie Tuesday! This week we're doing manis inspired by an interest or hobby of ours outside of polish. I've mentioned a couple times on here that I'm a pro wrestling fan and I've even done a few wrestling-centric manis in the past. I always have fun thinking them up, so I wanted to do another one for this theme.

This time around, I wanted to do something that wasn't overtly wrestling-inspired, so I took one of my favorite WWE performers, Natalya...

...and made a manicure using her signature colors. Natalya is a member of the Hart family, a legendary Canadian family that has produced multiple generations of famous pro wrestlers. She is the daughter of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and niece of Bret Hart. Even if you've never watched wrestling, you might know Nattie from the popular E! show, "Total Divas," a reality (I use this term loosely, as some of it is painfully scripted) show about the lives of some of WWE's female stars. Her colors--and the colors of the Hart family as a whole--are pink and black, often with white accents. So I did a pink gradient topped with white and black glitter.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Hey guys! Today I've got some swatches from Barielle's fall/winter collection, which is called Mirror, Mirror. This is a set of five cremes with some nice shades to bridge the fall-to-winter transitional months. (That may seem far off now, but trust me, it's coming!!) Anywho, let's take a look at 'em!

Feathered Slippers is a dark grey creme. It almost looks like it has a bit of green in it...? Not sure if that's just my imagination, but I dig it. Do you see the green or am I nuts?

Pretty Woman is far and away my favorite shade from this set! My bottle actually says "Pretty Women," but Barielle's website and the little promotional booklet for the collection both say "Woman," so I'm guessing that's just a typo. But whatever it's actually called, it's a very rich shade of Prussian blue. I love how elegant it looks on the nail.

Blushing Beauty is a bright red jelly. It's a very pretty representation of this type of color, even if it's not too unique. Look how squishy and shiny it is--and this is without top coat even!

Ribbon & Lace is a dusty teal creme. This is a perfect example of an autumn-tinged teal. It's got just the right amount of duskiness to it, if that makes sense to anyone other than me!

Silk Stockings was a surprise favorite. It's a nude--and one that I didn't think would go very well with my undertones, at that--but once I put it on, I really liked the taupe-y color it was on my nails. It doesn't go on as dark as it looks in the bottle and it isn't too cool-toned, so I think lots of different skin tones could rock this one.

All of these are two-coaters with nice formulas. No issues to report here--just nice, creamy application!

If you get one shade from this collection, make it Pretty Woman. There is something so chic about that color to me and it netted me quite a few compliments. :) I've got a lot of blue polish and this one is definitely shooting up my list of favorites!

You can purchase Barielle from their website. What's your favorite shade from Mirror, Mirror?

Disclosure: These polishes were sent for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Hey guys! We've got several brand new Twinsies joining us this week, so I just wanted to start out this post with a quick welcome for our newest members: Marisa, Megan, Sara, Sharon and Steph! Do take a look at their blogs in the link list at the end of this post if you're not familiar with them already.

For this week's theme, we're doing a mani inspired by our BFF. My BFF and I share a deep and abiding love for swamp green polish. In fact, this particular green was a gift from her! Native War Paints Rotten Zombie Flesh (love that name) is a duochrome swampy green with scattered holo. The fact that she managed to pick a polish that features so many of my favorite things all together is truly a testament to our friendship. ;) Rotten Zombie Flesh has multiple personalities, so I tried to post pictures that would give a good idea of how multi-faceted this polish really is!

The formula was very easy to work with. I used three coats here. Top coat (I used Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab) did not appear to diminish the holo at all.

Native War Paints was a new-to-me brand, but after I received this polish, I checked out their website and I gotta say, they have a lot of really awesome colors! Have you tried anything from Native War Paints before?

Monday, September 14, 2015

Yep, already! It is just barely fall, but if you're like me, you hate to wait for new things, so here is a little sneak peek at OPI's Spring 2016 collection: New Orleans!

The pictures aren't the highest resolution, so it's tough to make any concreted judgments, but at least it gives us an idea on what the color palette potentially looks like. I've found these early leaks are generally quite reliable, but since none of this has come directly from OPI, take everything below
with a grain of salt. That being said, take a look at these puppies and analyze away!!

Minis set, L to R: Got Myself into a Jam-balaya, Take a Right on Bourbon, I'm Soo Swamped!, Show Us Your Tips!

The only shades that have official names attached to them are the ones in the minis pack, which I've labelled for you guys. But the same site with these pictures had this list of names for the whole collection:

One thing's for sure: I will be needing Show Us Your Tips!, because that's just my sense of humor. I'll wait to make a formal shopping list though until we've got some better shots of the bottles themselves. Judging by these pics though, the color palette doesn't look terribly far off from what we saw in the Hawaii Collection, does it?

You can expect to see these on shelves in late February or early March of next year. I'll share more in-depth preview pics as they become available!

Friday, September 11, 2015

As a Gemini with a fondness for pastel yellow, Sally Hansen Gemincello was a must-have for me. Gemincello is a buttery yellow creme that came out in the Beachside Astrologer Collection earlier this year. I wore it with a dash of Urban Decay Goldmine as an accent nail, because I was craving some sparkle with this mani.

The formula is surprisingly non-streaky for a pastel, but it still needs three coats for complete opacity. There were some visible bubbles in the bottle and the consistency is on the thinner side, so make sure you give this one a good shake or roll before applying so those issues don't transfer over to the nail.

I will add that I was impressed with how nicely Goldmine applied, especially for a mini bottle. It's only the second UD polish I've tried, but I really like what I've seen from their polishes!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

I've got a couple different manis to share with you guys today, all of them incorporating Jamberry nail appliques. Nine times out of ten, if I'm wearing nail wraps and someone comments on them, they will ask me if they're Jamberry, so they seem to be pretty well known. But if you're not familiar with Jamberry, they're kinda different from other nail wraps, so here's a quick crash course for you!

Jamberry is sold through individual consultants. This time around, mine was Maureen. She was super sweet and willing to help troubleshoot if I had any questions or application issues. Consultants offer their appliques through their own websites, which feature a TON of designs. Click HERE if you want to check out Maureen's.

The biggest difference between Jamberry and other nail wraps in that you have to heat the appliques. After you peel them off the sheet, you have to expose them to heat for 3-5 seconds to make them more flexible. I always use my blow dryer and that works perfectly. Next, apply the wrap to your nail, trim and file the excess, then hit them with a little heat again to fully bond the wraps to the nail.

These are a little more time consuming to apply than
traditional wraps, since you have to involve a heat source, but I've
found them to be extremely sturdy on the nail so
taking a little extra time with them typically equates to long,
worry-free wear. I also like that if you get a crease or a bubble when applying, you can smooth it out with a little patience and an extra blast from the blow dryer. To remove, soak them in acetone for 30 seconds to break down the adhesive, then gently peel them off.

Maureen sent me a selection of different Jamberry accent nails to play
around with. These little sheets feature six different wraps, each with a
different design, so that you can see what patterns you like and get a
feel for how Jamberry wears and applies. I'm obsessed with nail wraps, but I've never tried them as accent nails. Here's a couple quick and easy combinations I came up with using these designs!

There's a bit of a learning curve with Jamberry, but I've found I can get the hang of it pretty quickly. It's been a while since I used any Jamberry wraps, so my first attempt (the flower wrap with Barielle Feathered Slippers) wasn't perfectly smooth, but this was due to user error rather than a flaw with the product. After that though, I got back in the groove and didn't have any issues applying the rest of the wraps.

My favorite of these was the overlay wrap I wore over Essie Chillato. I believe the name of this design is Island Energy. It adhered really well to the polish already on my nail and added a fun bit of depth to my existing manicure.

Have you tried anything from Jamberry before? I'd love to hear how what your experience with them was like in the comments!

Disclosure: These products were sent for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

This week's TT theme is ocean-inspired and everyone knows the best thing about the ocean is mermaids, so what better reason to wear one of my all-time favorite polishes, the legendary Mermaid's Dream by Deborah Lippmann! Aside from the name, the colors in Mermaid's Dream also bring the ocean to mind. This ethereal blend of teal, gold and blue glitter slays me every time I wear it!

I feel like Mermaid's Dream truly shines in outdoor lighting, but I painted my nails at night, so I didn't have an outdoor shots this time around. But if you want to see it in its full glory, you can do so by checking out my original review HERE. The fact that post is over three years old is blowing my mind right now, but I digress...

I love how luxe and multi-faceted this polish is. There's a lot going on here and it's all good. The colors are the perfect mix of cohesion and contrast. The formula is equally on point, covering in three easy coats. If you buy just one Lippmann polish in your life, Mermaid's Dream gets my vote!

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Hey all! Hope you had a good weekend and that you are keeping cool. Our air conditioner decided to break a couple days ago and we are still waiting for it go get fixed, so we are really sweating it here! :-/ Earlier today, we decided to go grab some fresh lemonade to cool off and my polish was almost the exact same color as the lemonade! I'm a dork, so I get excited over stuff like that.

Then here it is, sans lemonade:

Chillato is a really interesting color. I guess I'd described it as a yellow-based pastel green creme. It's pretty unique. The closest polish to it that I have is probably Deborah Lippmann Almost Paradise, but even that is visibly less yellow.

When applying, I had to be careful not to overload my brush, as Chillato does tend to pool around the cuticles. I wouldn't describe it as runny, but it's something I had to be mindful of. Overall though, it's got a nice enough formula that's not too streaky for a pastel. Above is three coats.

What are you drinking today? Other than the lemonade, I've become completely obsessed with Naked and Odwalla brand fruit juice smoothies, so I'm downing a ton of those lately to help keep cool! The fact that they're crazy yummy doesn't hurt either!

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

In what's becoming something of a winter tradition, Essie is bringing back Luxeffects again this year. But don't get too excited--this latest batch seemingly features only one new polish: a pewter bar glitter called Fringe Factor.

The rest of the promo pictures floating around the net about this collection are super grainy-looking,
but from what I can tell, the other shades are all re-promotes from
past Luxeffects collections: Rock At The Top, Set In Stones and A Cut
Above. Stroke Of Brilliance might also be in there? Again, this is just
my best guess from looking at the picture and none of this info has been
officially confirmed by Essie.

And then I've included one of the blurry pics here so we can all speculate together!

Honestly, I feel like each subsequent Luxeffects release has been increasingly underwhelming. We've gotten one new shade each in the 2014 and now 2015 collections. I don't mind re-promotes when they're polishes that are rare or were only available for a short time, but all of these other Luxeffects are still readily available in-store. The original Luxeffects Collection was beloved by many (including me), but we've been missing those standout polishes like Shine of the Times in these follow-ups. Just my two cents!

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

The Twinsies are back after our month-long hiatus with manis inspired by a flag! I put together a couple different glitters to create a mani inspired by the US stars and stripes. I'll basically use any excuse to wear star glitter. ;) It came out looking a little too "4th of July" for fall, but for what it is, I think it's pretty cute. I'd like to revisit the idea of glitter Skittles in the future.